Composite color photography



P 1942. L. E. WHITTAKER 2,297,598

a COMPOSITE COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY Filed May 1, 1940 BACKGROUND BACK/NG\ F B WH/rE 5 {BLACK/ 8 F THREE LAYER INTEGRAL PACK FILMS lNTEGRAL PACK COLOR POS/T/VES I L 1 1' F I COPY/N6 Min I I (3,5 0 SEPARA r/o/v COPY/N6 W/TH I BM MA r75 0/v m.c PR/N T/NG l NEGA r/ E F/L Ms l EXPOSED l NEXPOSED 34cm b Nb N9 J .l MATTE FM l ID r COPY/N6 LIGHT SEPARAT/ON COPY/N6 WITH MATTE ON PREVIOUSLY EXPOSED NEGA T/VE FILMS; DEVELOPING THREE COLOR SEPARATION NEGA T/I/ES Patented Sept. 29, 1942 COMPOSITE COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY Lloyed E. Whittaker, North Hollywood, Calif., assignor to Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation, Los Angeles (Hollywood), Calif., a corporation of Maine Application May 1, 1940, Serial No. 332,737

6 Claims.

In motion picture production use is often made of so-called rear projection, for the purpose of economy as well as in order to provide effects which could otherwise not be obtained. As well known, rear projection utilizes positive records of background scenes with or withoutbackground action taken in nature or from miniature or'full size studio set-ups, which positives are then projected from the rear on a, screen in front of which foreground scenery is set up and foreground action is performed; the foreground scene and ac-' tion and the picture projected on the screen are taken with a camera running in synchronism with the rear projector.

This rear projection technique however has various disadvantages especially for purposes of color photography. Such disadvantages are, for example, difllculty of providing on the background screen the necessary level of illumination, the limitations in size of rear projection screens, loss of definition, desaturation of color, non-uniformity of the'illumination level of the background field (hot spot) and disturbing grain or image mottle due to inherent characteristics of the screen.

In accordance with the present invention, these difilculties are overcome by directly combining background and foreground scenes without the intermediary of projecting the former on a screen in front of which the latter is performed; this direct record combination is accomplished with the aid of so-called mattes, that is, silhouette records with opaque portions covering the background or foreground portion, respectively, of the picture area whereas the other portion is practically clear.

It has heretofore been proposed to combine various picture portions by means of such mattes; however, in the above-mentioned field of combining large background fields with full foreground scenes for purposes of color photography, these conventional methods yield only unsatisfactory results because, for example, of the considerable time they require'for carrying out the various stages of laboratory processing before a producer can see whether or not a composite print is satisfactory, and because of difficulties in timing foreground and background action for proper coincidence of significant action.

It is oneofthe principal objects of the present invention to provide animprovedprocess of'making composite motion picture records with the aid of mattes which is especially suited for color photography (although it has certain features which may be advantageous in black and white cinematography), which simplifies the control of the necessary steps and considerably reduces 'their number and hence the time and cost required,

without impairing in any respect the. quality of the resulting final record.

In one of its aspects, the invention contemplates the use of integral pack film for recording the color aspect components of background and foreground fields; in another aspect, it. involves the utilization of a procedure for obtaining extreme contrast silhouette prints, in connection with a peculiar illumination of the foreground scene, for obtaining mattes for purposes of color photography in a simple and yet satisfactory manner; in still another aspect it proposes the combined use of integral pack and matte records for making color separation records on separate supports, for purposes of conventional dye transfer printing.

These and other objects, aspects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of several practical embodiments which are representative of its genus; the description refers to a, flow diagram of the various steps of the method according to th invention.

In this figure, B is a background field of any desired type as a landscape, seascape or interior. A foreground field is indicated at F by two persons acting in front of a white backing FB. This backing is very strongly illuminated with white light to an intensity considerably above that to which the foreground is illuminated; the illumination of foreground and backing, respectively, is so regulated that the highlight detail of the former is recorded at the usual density, whereas the latter will be recorded above the maximum exposure level of the foreground. Background B and foreground F are illuminated with light of the spectral ranges usual in color motion picture work.

Background and foreground are photographed in cameras indicated at A and B (a single camera may well be used forthe purpose) on twointegral pack films, respectively, carrying joined on a single support at least two layers, strata or series of emulsion particles adapted to record differentcolor aspects of an object field. Film of this kind is now well known and may be of the type carrying several differently sensitive layers which are after exposure simultaneously developed whereupon the positive records in sensitive emulsion, remaining after this initial development are step by step developed in subtractive dyes by means of color forming developers; or of the type incorporating in each layer a different colorless color former, respectively, which furnishes, after development of the silver negatives, with a suitable single developer positive records in different dyes of the appropriate subtractive color ranges;

or of the type carrying several differently dyed layers which are under the control of negative silver records bleached to furnish positive records in the appropriate subtractive transmission ranges.

These positive color records, for example obtained by reversal color development, are in the figure indicated at PB and PF. PB will be a-normal color record of the, background; PF will record the foreground scene with normal gradation, but the backing area will be substantially clear,

having less density than any point of the-actual foreground area.

Positive PF is then copied mum contrast or silhouette matte FM with practically clear foreground and practically opaque backing portions, both without detail. The preparation of such a silhouette may take place in accordance with known intensification methods, although it is sometimes difiicult especially if the difierence of backing and maximum foreground illumination level, respectively, is slight; however, it was found that the method described in copending applicationSerial No. 314,059, filed on January 16, 1940, and assigned to the present assignee furnishes satisfactory results even under difiicult conditions. According to this method,

the silhouette record FM is made by copying positive PF on a dyed emulsion sensitive to two light No. 1,804,727, of May 12, 1931, to Eastman A. Weaver), with light composed of two ranges difto' provide a maxiranges (for example, a film according to Patent ferently absorbed by the emulsion, by developing the latent record and coloring it with a dye strongly absorbing the light used for copyingwith the silhouette record; in this manner it is possible to convert original records with density scales varying on either side of anintermediate density value, into silhouette copies effectively reproducing these two density scales as two extreme density values. From matte FM a second matte BM is then printed which has opposite density values,

namely, is opaque over the foreground and clear over the backing area, respectively. If matte FM should not have th requiredmaximum contrast properties, printing of this matte in two steps will with certainty provide the necessary characteristics.

The background and foreground color records PB and PF. are then separated into three color separation record combining foreground and background scenes, as follows:

' The background record PB is first separated J into three latent color aspect records with unexposed foreground areas. A single layer film Nb is then exposed. with blue. light to positive record PB and matte BM in exact register. Any convenient printing technique can of course be employed for this purpose so long as it provides the required exact register. 4

In this manner, those portions of PB which cover the foreground scene will not be copied since the corresponding portions of the image carrying printing light beam are-held back by the opaque portions of matte BM. As indicated at Nb, a partly exposed (over the background area) and partly unexposed (over the foreground area) film with the latent record of the blue aspect of the background is obtained in this mane her. It will be understood that the blue copying lightis absorbed only bylthe yellow (minusblue) dye in which the blue aspect record of film 1 B is printed, whereas it is transmitted by the two other aspect records printed inmagenta (minus green) and cyan (minus red).

This film is then, without being processed in any manner, exposed to positive foreground record PF in contact therewith, with blue light projected through foreground matte FM whose to the green and red color aspect records, respec-- tively, of films PB and PF, with green and red I light absorbed by the magenta (minus green) and cyan (minus red) dye, respectively, in which these records are formed, two negatives CNg and ON? are printed representing green and red color aspect records, respectively.

It will be understood that the inattes FM and BM must be formed in a medium Whose record portion passes neither of the light ranges used for printing therethrough and that the emulsion of films Nb, Ng, Nr must besensitive at least to these ranges.

The color separation records CNb, CNg and CNr can then be used for manufacturingfinal color prints, for example by preparing therefrom gelatin relief matrix films for the purpose of printing a final positive film by way of dye transfer from these matrices onto a blank film; this process is well known and for example described in Patents No. 1,919,673 and No. 1,707,710.

Instead of illuminating a white backing with white light, an unilluminated black backing, for

example of black velvet can be used as paren thetically indicated in-the figure. In that instance, th foreground scene is illuminated at in-.

tensities providing a positive PF with a backing area of a density higher than any density in the shades of the foreground area, and the matte made therefrom will be a background matte as indicated in dotted lines at BM from which a foreground matte FM can be made. The manner in which these mattes are during printing" combined with records PB and PF IS likewise indicated' in dotted lines. In this instance, the second matte FM need not necessarily be used since foreground positive PF has in this instance a practically opaque backing area; however, matte FM may be used in the second color separation printing step as a matter of precaution. 7

Although it was found that with the modifiedtion using a black backing, it is sometimes more diiilcult to maintain sumcie'nt separation of the illumination levels of foreground and backing, it'

is generally speaking satisfactory if the light refiection values from all points of the backingare beyond an extreme value- (maximum or minimum for white orblack backing, respectively) of the reflection of similar light from the foreground field. 4

It-will be understood that the two color separa- V I tion printing steps are interchangeable; the foreground positive PF may first be printed together with the foreground matte FM and thereupon the matte BM.

background positive PB with It will be further understood that it is feasible to combine the background and foreground integral pack records PB and PF by printing them with the aid of 'a process different from the" above-mentioned imbibition dye transfer process, for example, by photographic printing on an integral pack film. In the latter instance, the intermediary of three color separation records on individual supports may be unnecessary and the three layers of the final integral pack film will take the place of separation records CNb, CNg, CNr; the printing steps with combined matte and background or foreground record can then be performed by simultaneous reproduction of all three color aspects of background or foreground records, or by consecutive printing of the color aspects with suitably selected colored light;

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustrationonly and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:'

1. In the art of making composite photographic records of two object fields with mattes for masking selected picture portions during exposure, the method of producing pictures in natura1 colors which comprises illuminating a foreground field as well as a backing therebehind with light of similar nature containing all spectral ranges to be recorded, to degrees bringing the light reflection values from all points of the backing beyond an extreme value of the reflection of similar light from the foreground field, making color separation records of .said ranges superimposed on a single support, of said foreground field against said backing, making color separation records of a background field, preparing from a record taken with said light containing said spectral ranges a silhouette matte record of said foreground field against said backing of maximum contrast between portions exposed with light of values on one side of said extreme, from said foreground field, and portions exposed with light of values on the other side of said extreme, fromsaid backing, and exposing said superimposed records through said matte record.

2. In the art of making composite photographic records of two object fields with mattes for masking selected picture portions during exposure, the method of producing pictures in natural colors which comprises illuminating a foreground field as well as, a backing therebehind with light of similar nature containing all spectral ranges to be recorded, to degrees bringing the light refiection values from all points of the backing beyond an extreme value of the reflection of similar light from the foreground field, making color separation records of said ranges of said foreground field against said backing, making color separation records of a background field preparing with at leastone of said records of the foreground field a silhouette matte record of said foreground the background icrecords of two object fields with mattes for masking selected picture portions during exposure, the method of producing pictures in natural colors which comprises illuminating a foreground field as well as a backing therebehind with light of similar nature containing all spectral ranges to be recorded, to degrees bringing the light reflection values from all points of the backing beyond an extreme value of the reflection of similar light from the foreground field, making color separation records of said ranges joined on field against said backing of maximum contrast between portions exposed with light of values on one side of said extreme, from said foreground field, and portions exposed, with light of values.

-a single support, of said foreground field against said backing, making color separation records joined on a single support of a background field, preparing with said joined records of the foreground field a matte of maximum contrast between portions exposed with light of values on one side of said extreme, from said foreground field, and portions exposed with light of values on the other side of said extreme, from said backing and exposing said joined records of one of said fields through said matte record.

4. In the art of making composite photograph backing, making color separation records joined on a single support, of a background field, preparing a silhouette matte record of said foreground field against said backing of maximum contrast between areas exposed with light of values on one side of said extreme, from said foreground field, and areas exposed with light of values on the other side of. said extreme, from said backing, preparing from said matte a second silhouette matte with opposite density values, printing on photographic emulsion one of said joined records of said foreground field through the matte whose background area has maximum density, and printing on the same emulsion one of said joined records of said background field through the matte whose foreground area has maximum density.

5. In the art of making composite photographic records oftwo object fields with mattes for masking selected picture portions during expo sure, the method of producing pictures in natural colors which comprises illuminating a foreground field as well as a backing therebehind with light of similar nature containing all spectral ranges to be. recorded, to degrees bringing the light refiection values from all points of the backing above the maximum value of the reflection of similar light from the foreground field, making color separation records of said ranges joined, on a single support, of said foreground field against said backing, making similar color separation records joined on a single support, of a background field, preparing a silhouette matte record of said foreground field against said backing of maximum contrast between portions exposed with light of values not higher than said imum, from said backing, preparing from said matte a second silhouette matte with opposite density values, printing each one of said joined records of said foreground field through the A matte whose background area has maximum density on photographic emulsions with separate supports, respectively, and printing on the same field and a backing therebehind with substantially white light to degrees bringing the light refiection values from all points of the backing above the maximum value of the reflection of similar light from the foreground field; recording three latent color separation records joined on a single support, of said foreground field against said backing; converting said latent records into joined records in subtractive colors; making three color separation records, joined on a single support and in subtractive colors, of a background field; preparing from said colored foreground field records a matte with substantially clear portions exposed with light from said foreground field and substantially opaque portions exposed with light from said backing; making from said matte a second matte with substantially opaque foreground portions and substantially clear backing portions; separately printing on photographic emulsions on separate supports latent records of said background field in register through said second matte and separately printing in register through said first matte on said separate latent records said records of said foreground field. a 4 

